How to make perfume

How to make perfume
Why spend a fortune on perfume or cologne when you can make your own for cheap. Brand name perfume/cologne can cost from $50-100, why spend that much when you can create your own fragrance with vodka and essential oils.

Instead of wearing a fragrance that everyone else wears you can make your own unique blend. Your own aromatic creations also makes a thoughtful gift.
 
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Step 1What you need:

What you need:
Ingredients:
  • Vodka (the higher percentage alcohol the better) or Everclear if you can get it
  • Essential oils*, fragrance oils**, infused oils, even flavour*** extracts (make sure it's pure) such as vanilla extract
  • distilled or spring water
  • glycerine

Other stuff
  • pretty glass bottles to put the finished product in, preferably coloured glass, reuse bottles or find them at the dollar store.
  • glass jar for mixing fragrance in
  • measuring cup/spoons
  • a dropper if you have one
  • funnel
  • aluminum foil or wrapping paper if you are using clear glass bottles
  • a pencil and paper for jotting down your recipe
  • a discerning nose is helpful

*You can also make your own perfume oil Be a Romantic Scientist: Distill your own perfume oil.

**Fragrance oils are synthetic and are less expensive than essential oils.

***Quite a few perfumes use food flavours in them, so extracts are an easy way of incorporating them into your own creations.
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99 comments
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Jan 26, 2012. 6:21 PMEmily800h says:
I am trying to create my own line of perfume. Here are some recipe ideas i have, will they work? *rose,lavender,amber-*peppermint,basil,cedarwood and/or sandalwood-*cherry+vanilla,grapefruit+lemon,frankincense-*orange blossoms,corianderor+/or tagete,oakmass. Do you think these are good pairs?
Dec 18, 2011. 2:13 PMSandySTC says:
The isopropyl alcohol will most likely add an unpleasant scent. The alcohol is important for preservation. Glycerin is not a preservative.
To be honest, I can't imagine that mixing 50% isopropyl alcohol with patchouli would smell very good.
Dec 10, 2011. 2:37 PMtinker234 says:
wow could i modify to make Colleen
Dec 11, 2011. 8:18 AMtinker234 says:
yes i meant cologne thank you
Nov 18, 2011. 2:00 PMZeni_D says:
I went to the basenotes web page and didn't see any components listed.. I am trying to find the components to Tribe by Coty. is there any other website that listthem?
Nov 19, 2011. 12:47 PMZeni_D says:
Thank You!
Oct 22, 2011. 8:03 AMTheLucster says:
Thanks this is a good instructable! I'm interested in making fragrances for use in those electric plug in scents. Is there any difference in the ingredients, or how much it needs to be diluted?
Oct 13, 2011. 12:54 AMmbudz says:
What is the recipe to make air freshener's that smells like strong weed ?
Sep 21, 2011. 11:35 AMrchauhan3 says:
Hello ChrysN,
Hope u r fine.

I just wanted to ask whether we can use artificial/home-made perfumes on a small commercial scale, just to earn some money. I'm really interested in getting into this business. We are a group of 4-5 people who are interested to start a small scale perfume business with a small initial capital investment.
Can you guide us through it.

May be the business rules are different in different countries but still the manufacturing is the same i guess.

It'll be really helpful for us if you could guide us through this.

thanjs and regards

Ritz
India | email : ritz_boy3@yahoo.com
Sep 7, 2011. 11:23 AMInyx13 says:
Quick question. How dark do the colored bottles have to be? If they are mildly colored, will we still need to cover them?
Aug 18, 2011. 4:03 PMjoeny1980 says:
Very interesting. There is a very expensive cologne thats over $200 I'd love to try to replicate instead of buy. I found it on basenotes and can see exactly what all the notes are. Now, a cpl questions

1. you said 25 drops of oil... so is that 25 drops TOTAL of all oils used? In other words for every 1/4cup of vodka, and 2 tbsp of water and 5 drops of glycerin it should have approx 25 drops of oil in total?

2. when you're mixing the oils are you mixing them in the alcohol or

3. with regards to top/mid/base notes - does that affect the amount of oils used or is that just the classification of them. In other words, if there is a top note of melon and a mid note of chocolate, am I typically using more melon than chocolate?

4. Have you sucessfully replicated perfumes that already exist with this method by simply following basenotes.net.
Aug 21, 2011. 9:21 AMjoeny1980 says:
Yes thanks. It helps. One more question - you said when making a spray add more water... can you clarify approx how much . I dont want to over-dilute and ruin it.
Aug 22, 2011. 8:31 AMjoeny1980 says:
Great thank you for the great instructable and tips. As we speak I'm ordering all of the oils 10 in total, and IPM Isopropyl Myristate (which is an alternative to Perfumers alcohol... apparently). All else I'll need is glycerine from the drug store. I'll let you know how it turns out. The total of this order is $45 shipped (and I bought the oils in small 1oz sizes, so I could have saved money buying in bulk). And just this amount will probably make me several bottles of this cologne which retails for about $150 for 3oz

I suppose I have one more question - the product I'm trying to replicate is called a "Eau De Parfums" spray which I assume might mean a different amount of 'watering down' of it. Any additional guidance, considering that classification?
Aug 25, 2011. 6:03 PMjoeny1980 says:
Ok, so I just finished mixing and now I've stored away to age. I gotta tell you, for a first try... so far I'm pleased. I hope the scents mature as they age, the cologne I'm replicating has been described as very complex - so I wasnt sure if I'd get close - but I think I'm pretty close.

My first impressions:
I'm glad I got that IPM Isoproply myristate - it was inexpensive and completely odorless, I was concerned about off-odors of vodka.

One drop at a time is smart, I got lazy a couple times and did two and had to compensate for it.

I have a question - do you ever use anything else or anything otherwise 'odd' in your perfumes? For example - though its not listed in the basenotes, the cologne I'm trying to replicate is frequently described as salty or like sea air. I dont want to get too crazy, but my first thought is.... why not add some salt?

Second - I did a very small side batch mixing with the glycerine and water - the oil and water seperate. I suppose thats a given - but what fixes that? Obviously commercial perfumes are not seperated.
Aug 25, 2011. 8:52 PMjoeny1980 says:
One more thing ... is there anything to do to improve the projection of the perfume?
Aug 29, 2011. 1:54 PMjoeny1980 says:
Great thanks for all the feedback.

I read that there really is no way around it with the oil/water mixing - but commercial perfumers dont use oils maybe they are distilling the aromatic compounds or somehing - I dunno - anyhow, I can deal with it - just curious.

Actually after I wrote that - I looked, and go figure - they actually have a "sea salt" fragrance oil, with the scent of salt.
Aug 25, 2011. 4:34 PMspageau-timar says:
is it fine if the extract is not pure?
Jun 9, 2011. 7:04 PMrm2dance says:
Where can you buy all the items in http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-perfume/ ?

Here's the forum topic: http://www.instructables.com/community/Where-can-you-buy-all-the-items-in-httpwwwinst/
Aug 1, 2011. 11:28 AMrm2dance says:
nvm too complicated way too much trouble
Aug 1, 2011. 2:38 PMkelseymh says:
More trouble than typing the exact same questions here, and expecting other people to do your work for you?
Jul 14, 2011. 12:42 AM'qhúe says:
how much is the budget for that things that needed??,'.
May 13, 2011. 2:02 PMppublic says:
what if i want just straight up patchouly perfume? i don't want to mix anything, i just want plain patchouly perfume.

also, all i have is 50% isopropyl alcohol atm and i'm trying my hand at this for the first time. why does stronger alcohol make it better, and when you say glycerin makes it last longer, do you mean that it spoils or sours sooner, or do you mean that the glycerin makes the scent last longer once applied?

btw thank you for tutorial, awesome!
Mar 13, 2011. 5:43 AMwziegler says:
Ty for the great tut on how to make perfume. i wrote a small book on how to make perfume called Perfume Homemade Ecstasy. if you are interested in checking it out Please go to http://perfumehomemadeecstasy.com/perfume/
Jan 26, 2011. 6:00 PMPipPipPia says:
I heard that smelling coffee in between is good because it like "cleans" your nose...
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Author:ChrysN
I like sewing and crafts,and trying new things. I'm vegetarian and always looking for new recipes. My cat's name is Mirko and likes to be in the centre of things, so you will see him in several of m...
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